Excavating-machine.



A. F D. LOUDEN.

EXUAVATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 131 11.17, 1909.

Patented June 21, 1910.

3SHEETSSH'EET 1.

A. F. D. LOUDEN,

EXUAVATING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 17, 1909.

Patented June 21,1910.

3 SHEETS'SHEET 2.

A. P. D. LOUDEN. EXUAVATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.17, 1909.

Patented June 21, 1910.

3 SHBETS-SHBET 3.

w W? f ITED OFFICE.

ARTHUR F. D. LOUDEN, OF FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA, ASSIGNGR OF GNE-THIRD T VALENTINE S. SOBIECK AND ONE-THIRD TO JAMES F. CRISP, OF FARGO, NORTI-f DAKOTA.

EXCAVATING-MACHINE.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR F. D. LoUDnN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fargo, in the county of Cass and State of North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Excavating- Machines; and I do. hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description. of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved excavating machine, and to this end, it consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention, like characters in dicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings: Figure .l is a view in side elevation, showing the improved excavating machine; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the improved machine; Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail, showing in side elevation a vibratory plate; Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line ra a of Fig. 3, showing also a portion of the supporting and guiding device for the said so-called shovel plate; and Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken approximately on the line :0 of Fig. 1, some parts being removed and some parts being shown in full, on a somewhat larger scale.

A suitable truck frame 1 is mounted on wheels 2, and at its rear end portion, is provided with an upright portion 3. An inclined elevator frame 4 is rigidly secured to the front portion of the frame 1, and to the upper end portion of the upright section or standard 3, and an endless slat and belt con veyer 5 is arranged to run over suitable guide rollers 6 and 7, respectively in the lower and upper end portions of said elevator frame 4. The shaft of the upper roller 7 is provided at one end, with a spur gear 8, and at its other end with a bevel gear 9.

Laterally spaced arms 10 are pivotally connected to the sides of the elevator frame 4, as shown, by a shaft 11, which at one end carries two sprockets 12 and 13. Transversely, the two arms 10 are rigidly tied together for common pivotal movements, and their free ends are supported by an oblique rod 14, the upper end of which is attached Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 17, 1909.

Patented June 21, 1910.

Serial No. 490,532.

to a rack bar 15 mounted to slide in suitable bearings on one side of the upper portion of the elevator frame 4. The rack 15 is engaged by a pinion 16 carried by the upper end of an upright shaft 17, mounted in suitable bearings on the frames 1 and 4. To the lower end portion of the shaft 17, a pair of reversely acting bevel gears 18 are keyed or otherwise secured for rotation with said shaft, but for sliding movements thereon under the action of a shipper lever 19. By vertical movements of the lever 19, either of the bevel gears 18 may be engaged, at will, with a bevel gear 20 secured to one end of a short counter-shaft 21, mounted in suitable bearings on one side of the truck frame 1, and provided with a small bevel gear 22 that meshes with a bevel gear carried by one end of a crank shaft 24 of an explosive engine 25, that is suitably mounted on the truck frame 1.

In the outer ends of the vertical adjust able arms 10, a crank shaft 26, having a multiplicity of cranks set progressively one ahead of the other, is rotatively mounted. At one end, this crank shaft 26 is provided with a sprocket wheel 27, over which and the sprocket 13 of the countershaft 11, runs a sprocket chain 28. On each crank portion of the shaft 26, a tedder acting lever 29 is intermediately pivoted. Attheir lower ends, the tedder levers 29 are provided with hoes or excavating blades 30, and the upper ends thereof are pivotally connected to the upper ends of links 31, the lower ends of which are connected to a trans verse shaft 82 mounted in slots 33 in the levers 10, and held in position by a metal strap or rod 34, attached at its upper end to the elevator frame 4.

l Vorking under and in front of the lower end portion of the elevator frame 4, is a vibratory plate or shovel 35, the forwardly projecting edge of which is approximately horizontal, and the body of which inclines upward and rearward, thence under the lower portion of the elevator frame 4, and into a pair of laterally spaced guide plates 36 secured to the sides of the lower portion of the elevator frame 4.

As best shown in Figs. 8 and 4, the guide plates 36 are provided with horizontal guide flanges 36, between which the edges of the rear portion of the shovel are mounted to slide. The rear edge portion of the shovel 35 is connected by a pair of links 37 to eccentrics 38 carried by a transverse shaft 39, mounted in suitable bearings on the sides of the truck frame 1. At one end, the shaft 39 is provided with a sprocket 40 that alines with a sprocket 41 carried by the shaft 46, as best shown in Fig. 5. A sprocket chain 42 runs over the sprockets 40 and 41, and a sprocket chain 43 runs over a sprocket 44 on the engine shaft 24 and over a sprocket 45 carried by the countershaft 46 mounted in suitable bearings on the frame 1, and thus imparts rotary motion to the countershaft 39 from the engine shaft. As is evident, rotation of the shaft 39 and its eccentrics 38 will vibrate the shovel 35 horizontally forward and rearward, so as to cause the said shovel to loosen up the dirt at the bottom of the ditch or trench that is being excavated. This countershaft 46 also carries a sprocket 47 and another sprocket 48. A sprocket chain 49 runs over the sprocket 47 and over the sprocket 12 of the shaft 11, and thus transmits motion from the engine to the tedder crank shaft 26. A sprocket chain 50 runs over the sprocket 48 and over a large sprocket 51, that is secured to one of the truck wheels 2, so as to thereby cause the engine to impart traveling motion to the excavating machine. The usual, or any suitable clutch mechanism may be provided for connecting the countershaft 46 to the spripcket 45 and disconnecting the same, at w1 The spur gear 8 which is carried by the upper elevator roller 7 meshes with a similar spur gear 52 mounted on the supporting stud secured on one side of the upright frame 3. The gear 52 is connected for common rotation with a sprocket 53. A chain 54 runs over the sprocket 53 and over a sprocket 55 which is carried by the engine shaft 24. It will thus be seen, that the elevator belt 5 is driven from the engine 25.

The elevator belt 5 is arranged to deliver onto a relatively short transversely extended conveying belt 56, mounted to run over suitable rollers 57, suitably journaled in a conveyer frame 58 secured to the upper portion of the upright frame 3. The shaft of the upper roller 57 carries a bevel gear '59 that meshes with a bevel gear 60 carried by the shaft of the upper elevator roller 7. The transverse conveyer 56 is arranged to deliver into a large hopper or catch box 61, which is shown as supported from one side of the upright frame 3 by means of brackets 62. Straps 63 also connect the upper portion of the hopper 61 to the lower portion of the conveyer frame 58. The hopper 61 is provided with a pivoted side plate 64 normally held in a closed position by a suitable latch 65.

An excavating machine of the character above described may be used for a great many different kinds of excavating, but will be found especially serviceable for use in digging trenches, for drainage or for the laying of water and sewer pipes. WVhen the machine is slowly advanced and the so-called shovel 35 is vibrated, and the tedder acting arms or hoes are thrown into action, the dirt at the bottom of the trench will be loosened up and forced on to the lower receiving portion of the elevator belt 5, and the dirt in the bank in front of the machine will be torn down and delivered onto the said elevator belt. By the elevator belt, the dirt will be delivered onto the transverse conveyer 56, and by the latter will be delivered into the hopper or catch box 61. This hopper is preferably of a size which will hold a wagon load of dirt, and the entire contents thereof may be delivered into a wagon located below the same, simply by moving the pivoted or hinged side 64 into an open position.

As is evident, the arms 10, which support the tedder acting arms or shovels, may be vertically adjusted so as to bring the hoes or blades 30 into proper position for action upon the bank which is to be torn down thereby.

WhatI claim is:

1. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a portable support, of an elevator mounted on said support, supporting arms pivotally mounted and earned by said support, a crank shaft carried by said supporting arms, a tedderacting hoeequipped arm driven by said crank shaft, means for driving sai crank shaft, and

means for vertically adjusting said supporting arm, substantially as described.

2. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a portable support, of an elevator mounted on said support, a shovel projecting in front of the receiving end of said elevator, supporting arms pivotally mounted and carried by said support, a crank shaft carried by said supporting arms, a tedder-acting hoe-equipped arm driven by said crank shaft, means for driving said crank shaft, and means for vertically adjusting said supporting arm, substantially as described.

3. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a portable support, of an elevator mounted on said support, a shovel projecting in front of the receiving end of said elevator, supporting arms pivotally connected to said elevator, means for vertically adjusting said supporting arms, a crank shaft carried by said supporting arms, means for driving said crank shaft, a tedderacting hoe-equipped arm intermediately connected to said crank shaft, a link connected at one of its ends to the upper end of said hoe-equipped arm and having its other end slidably mounted on said supporting arms, and means for holding the sliding I rearward and being slidably mounted in end of said link in respect to said supporting elevator, substantially as described.

4. In a machine of the kind described, the combination With a portable support, or an elevator mounted on said support, a shovel Working under and in front of the lower end portion of said elevator, the forward projecting edge of said shovel extending in an approximately horizontal direction and the body thereof extending upward and bearings on said support, and means for vibrating said shovel, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ARTHUR F. D. LOUDEN.

\Vitnesses:

ARTHUR B. LEVERSON, T. H. MoENRoE. 

